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U.S., Mexico Share Continent, Future

Interactive Travel Map | Text the SecretaryFollowing her meeting with Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa, Secretary Clinton said:"Our two nations know each other very well, and with good reason. This is one of the most important relationships that exists between any two countries in the world. We are part of the same family, we share this continent as our common home, and we will inhabit a common future. That is why the United States and Mexico need a strong and sustained partnership, one based on comprehensive engagement, greater balance, shared responsibility, and joint efforts to address hemispheric and global issues.

We need such a comprehensive agenda in order to make progress on the economy, on energy and climate change, on security, immigration, education, health, and other areas that are of great importance to our two countries and our two peoples. During this trip, we will be discussing many of these topics. And I am pleased to announce several measures that will help strengthen our partnership with Mexico and move us both closer to our shared goals.

First, the global financial crisis has reinforced how closely our economies are linked. If there was any doubt before, there should be none now. We rise and fall together. We know that commerce between our nations is and will be a crucial part of our economic recovery. I want to thank President Calderon, Secretary Espinosa, and the Government of Mexico for the important role that you are playing in helping to shape the G-20 agenda.

In order to facilitate legal trade and travel between our nations, the Administration has set aside $720 million dollars for modernizing border crossings. That money will help encourage commerce and travel by making the gateways between our countries more efficient.

I also want to speak to the issue of security.

Now, our relationship is much bigger than any issue, including this one. Yet the criminals and kingpins spreading violence are trying to corrode the foundations of law, order, friendship, and trust between us and that support our continent. They will fail. With bold leadership from President Calderon, we are working together to provide the people of our nations with the security they deserve. Under the Merida Initiative, a program conceived by Mexico and embraced by the United States, we have now committed hundreds of millions of dollars to training and equipping Mexican law enforcement, and strengthening Mexico’s judicial system and democratic institutions.

Part of being a good partner is being a good listener. The Mexican Government made clear to us its urgent need for additional helicopters to take on the drug traffickers, and we are responding. And I am pleased to announce that the Obama Administration, working closely with Congress, intends to provide more than $80 million in urgently needed funding for Blackhawk helicopters for Mexican law enforcement. These aircraft will help Mexican police respond aggressively and successfully to the threats coming from the cartels.

We are also announcing the creation of a new bilateral implementation office here in Mexico, where Mexican and U.S. officials will work together, side-by-side, to fight the drug traffickers and the violence which they spread. We realize that drug trafficking is a shared problem. I have discussed with the Secretary and with the President what the United States can do to reduce the demand for drugs in our own country, and to stop the flow of illegal guns across our border to Mexico. And I reported to them on the major steps that our government announced yesterday."

Comments

Comments

Lee J.

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California, USA

March 26, 2009

Lee J. writes:

I agree with Hillary Clinton that it's our fault concerning the 'Drug Wars' in Mexico. It's our fault in the sense we allow millions of illegals to enter this country each year because we refuse to protect the borders. It's our fault that when the Mexican president can't handle its own people that we allow him to throw them off on the American tax-payer, which drains us with them receiving free healthcare, housing, medicaid, welfare, financial aid for school, and social security. It's our fault that we allow many Americans to lose their jobs just before retirement to low wage illegals. So yes, I agree with Hillary Clinton, it's America's fault for allowing this to go one for so many years.

Sandy

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New Jersey, USA

April 7, 2009

Sandy in New Jersey writes:

I find it quite ironic how Mexico makes no qualms about its resentment towards the U.S. at times but when they need the U.S. help they come crawling on their knees like cowards for a handout. Mexico needs to learn to take care of itself. That's why so many Mexicans come here looking for a handout. Stop encouraging lazy and selfish behavior America.

Elizabeth

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Oklahoma, USA

March 26, 2009

Elizabeth in Oklahoma writes:

I am delighted to hear that the United States and Mexico will work as partners to confront the challenges effacing our common citizenry. Having spent my formative years in the medical profession during the first wave of the HIV/ADS epidemic, I can rin San Diego, I can reflect remarkable partnerships that formed between UCSD and Tiajuana General to save lives. In terms of capacity building, fostering one's ability to transcend boundaries spatially and sociologically, without dismissing cultural and linguistic differences was equally as important to knowledge of treatments, prophylatics and prognoses.

Whether or not one believes that drug addiction is a disease with a given neurobiological basis, its epidemiological breadth rapaciously impacts everyone on our shared continent. Every citizen, young and old, is adversely effected; by the drug trade on multiple fronts, personally, professionally, pyschologically, and physically to name but a few. Indeed treating an epidemic requires the active participation of actors in urban, suburban rural regions regardless of income level, legal resident status or other variable that impedes full citizen engagement.

A comprehensive plan that endeavors collaborative problem solving needs to conceive a community of actors from multiple sites of agency in the social, financial, health, educational, faith based and government sectors. Such a broad coalition of actors would be able to design and develop capacities on multiple fronts. Recovering and rehabilitated ex offenders (distribution/possession) need to be situated at center and periphery to shed light on the key variables that vary among locales fueling the adaptive elements of the drug trade industry. On this point we must be clear, we can not afford the time it takes to use traditional methods only scaled up. To transform the problem we need a tranformed approach from the inside out.

At last, albeit a radical notion, and not likely one that would be politically popular I would propose crafting a blanket amnesty agreement that is coarticulated by both states to allow for long term residential treatment and a concurrent monitoring of the individual's progressive recovery for 10 years. This opportunity would have to be granted citizens from the U.S. and Mexico in equal measure to those admitting participation in the trade.

Any potential consequence would be stayed on the understanding that be they dealer or addict, treatment would be no less than 18 months followed by a more individualized reentry program which may include, vocational training, literacy training, parent education etc. To ensure fidelty of principles to practice the policy's regulatory body and related "places of business" should literally be straddling the border from one end to the other.

I applaud the progressive and integral view that Secretary Clinton and her peers have articulated. I am only concerned that the solution will be framed too narrowly; that is militaristic, and ultimately perceived as punitive for some citizens and greater benefits acrruing to others. These are my humble thoughts.